Red Poppy

I could say a million things but you'd eventually be bored. My life seems to be changing. Perhaps it's actually my priorities.
I'm no longer a servant to the public or an audience. (A creation of my own doing which I know I'm not the only one who's fallen into the cyber world black hole.) Don't get me wrong, I've met many wonderful people. But I feel I've let my 'real' life be robbed.
I've had so much more peace just doing what ever I want (to a degree) or feel like.
More time in the garden this year. (And not even with my camera!)
I've played with dyeing papers.
Making a book of paper and fabric.
Getting a sourdough starter going and making a few wonderful things so far. (Including the best chocolate cake I've ever eaten.)
Built a double compost bin and have begun to fill it.
I pick up 4 trash cans full of horse poop from a friend every week for future garden fertilizer.
Planted tons more flowers than usual this year, unfortunately the heat has been hard on them.
Spent some time going through 'old' things and organizing the junk and tools our 'barn'.
Redesigning part of the garden and working up plans for a 'garden house'.
Since I got out of my usual habit of editing on my iPad in the evenings during those months of working on Blake's parents house, I've done very little art. I kind of miss it but I'm just not real inspired right now. I did this poppy at least a month ago. Never did get around to posting it on Instagram then either.
Lots of questions to be answered. Keep this blog going? What about my website that I haven't updated in about 2 years? A mirror-less camera or just use the phone?
Wish I had a secretary.

Mostly done in iColorama.

Mobile Art Monday Poppy Pods

It's time for a mobile edit tutorial of sorts. Life threw me a curve the past 12 months but perhaps I can get back on a more creative track. 

I like using 'real paint' and making 'gelli' prints on paper. I take photos of these and sometimes they will find a place in my photo edits. These are the two images I worked on in Leonardo on my iPhone.

After a little experimenting with blend modes on the two prints, I ended up duplicating the red layer and set the blend mode to hard light on the second copy and shifted its position. Then I turned the yellow/green layer into black and white (Under Fx-Threshold), moved it to the top and set the blend mode to multiply. Shown in this screen shot of the Leonardo app.

 I opened it in Snapseed to crop and save for future use.

While playing around with this image of poppy pods in Snapseed,,,

I discovered the app now did double exposure. That basically means you can add an image layer and change the blend mode to get a new look. So I imported my edited gelli print and played with the blend modes til I found one I liked.

I wanted to ‘outline’ the pods a bit for more definition, so I opened the original in iColorama. Style>Edges>#8 Apply. Adjust>Levels adjusted the Gamma and Max Input to lighten any gray areas. Saved to camera roll.

In Procreate I layered the Snapseed double exposure and the iColorama ‘sketch’, setting that layer to multiply causing the white to disappear. I reduced the opacity some and on a new layer drew in additional lines and erased what I didn't want.  I also did my version of cloning which was cut and paste on areas that should have been cloned out before editing.

I found a quote that I wanted to add so in the app Over, I added the text layer.

Not quite satisfied, I imported that image back into Procreate and moved the whole thing to the left. Then duplicated it and moved the left to the right side and flipped part of it horizontally. After many more duplications and moving pieces around (including the text), I ended up with this.

A couple days later I decided to add the falling seeds in Procreate using the stipple brush. (I felt it was quite appropriate for the quote and I love their little seeds.) Then I added the extra piece in the lower right corner which was also made from several gelli prints.

Next time I'll show you some editing tricks with gelli prints. Can't wait!

Have a great Mobile Art Monday!

Mobile Art Monday No. 57

If you've never picked up a copy of Somerset Digital Studio Magazine, the current issue would be a great one to grab. It is the first of several issues that I hope to have my art featured in. I wrote a feature article titled Digital Mobile Watercolor explaining the steps I use to create some of my work. (I did add some textures from Stackables on the pumpkins at the end.)

I've also uploaded a video I recorded in iColorama showing this poppy edit in progress.

One thing you'll notice is that I constantly use the undo button as I try out different brushes.

Hope this gets your creative juices flowing!
Have a great Monday!

Mobile Art Monday No. 47

I have two Stackables formulas for you today. The first I call Pods since I used it on my poppy pods.

Original (tweaked in Snapseed)

A grunge filter added in Snapseed. I love how it made the stems blend out toward the edge.

In Image Blender I added one of my own textures.

Then into Stackables for the finale.

I also used it on my freshly emerging yellow coneflower daisies. 

Original tweaked in Snapseed.

The second I call Antique. It's wonderful on still life shots. This is my original edited shot that I save the formula for.

It also worked great on my coneflowers.  (This was a formula in the app that I made adjustments to.)

And a landscape shot I thought worked good with it.

You can download the formulas for Pods here and Antique here.

 Save them to your Dropbox. 

Now on your device, open Dropbox and click the file. Use the 'Open in' option and choose Stackables. It will ask if you want to import the formula, tap 'Import'. 

You will find it under the 'formula' icon with the heart. Click the formula of choice on the right  to apply it. You can make further adjustments by clicking on the wrench icon on the lower right to make each layer editable.

Hope you had a great Mobile Art Monday yesterday and didn't have any firework mishaps.

Love my iPad Pro!

Sarah asked how I liked my new iPad Pro, the large one. So I thought I'd write a bit about it.

I actually love ‘working’ on my new Pro. Seeing is much better especially if you’re scrutinizing your work for print. 

I LOVE, LOVE LOVE the Pencil. Totally.

Now the only thing I’m not thrilled about is the cumbersome size for toting around. Which I don’t do often, but the old one went everywhere with me. (Which is for sale.)

I’m trying to get the courage up to go buy a ‘tiny’ purse. Yeah, like I think I can survive with that. I know what will end up happening… I’ll get a tote bag of sorts that the iPad will fit in along with my extra personal belongings and end up sticking the tiny purse inside. I seriously need to get a smaller purse though. My back is bothering too much.

I inherited my hubby’s iPad mini that has a crack in the corner but I leave it at work for appointment scheduling and swiping credit cards. It has no cellular data plan so it doesn’t do much good to tote around. Perhaps I should switch my data plan from my Pro to the mini. Then I’d be tempted to edit on the mini more (on the run) and that would be going backwards. Besides, it already drives me crazy having stuff on a desktop and laptop and now I’ll spread it around on 2 iPads? 

Do you see my hair getting thinner? And grayer?

By the way, here is a great case my friend Kathy turned me on to. Mostly because of the pencil holder, and the price is quite right.  Which brings up another thing about that pencil. No-one told me you had to charge it which could be a problem sometimes. It comes with an adapter that you plug into your iPad charger. My question is where am I supposed to keep it and not loose the darn thing? It is very small. So far it's staying at the house but I may need to invent something that attaches to that case. Here's another thing you need to know.... How do you tell how much charge the battery has in that pencil? Swipe down from the top to reveal the notifications and it will show there. I hope on the next update they will add it to the menu bar like the other battery. No reason they can't. (Well I guess I don't really know that do I?)

And while you're at it this is nice to have too. A nifty little jump drive that can plug into your iPad or computer.

And don't forget the pencil!

Hope your summer is going well. It hit 100º yesterday and I'm already picking giant squash.

Taste Crisis

I feel like I'm in the middle of a 'taste' crisis. I browse the digital scrapbook stores, seeing varying styles and none really seem to appeal at the moment. Not enough to buy any which is good for my pocket book for awhile. 

I look at my friends art, totally enamored with some yet not knowing how to begin to do something similar.

I'm feeling very unsettled. Perhaps I should be out working in the garden...

Today I cleaned the desktop of my iMac. I've always created a folder on the desktop titled "Desk cleaned (date)". My current folder was titled Feb 2016. Inside it was various files plus a folder titled Desk Sept. Inside that was another titled On My Desk July. Inside that was another for May 2015. Besides all these folders a ton of files or photos were randomly scattered throughout. 

They haven't all disappeared but I threw a ton of stuff in the trash and backed up others. Right now those folders are still there but I think I'll put them all in one called To Put Away and save that for another day.  (This is to say nothing about the stuff stacked up in my Downloads folder.) Can anyone relate?

I am proud to say that as I cleaned my current desktop off, nothing was added to that folder.

It was nice to look back at some old work with new eyes, even back to 2009 (not sure why some of those things were there.) And I sure looked a lot younger 5 years ago. 

This was a try out of Picsart on my iPad.

It will add layers but not show them for editing after the effect is applied. Sort of similar to iColorama. I'll be exploring it more.

Dreams April 2016

Dreams...
"What are your dreams," he asks. I sit there, numb.
Do I even have any, anymore? What happened to them? Everyone has dreams. Where did they go?
I believe I may have given up on each one without even a fight. After awhile it proved to me they would never happen so why push it. Even though a lot were small they seemed too big for me to handle by myself. I felt unsupported in them and I didn't have the energy needed to make them a reality.

You see, I think anything worth having (a dream fulfilled) comes with a cost. It may be a mental thing to overcome or physical, or even emotional, or more than likely all the above. There is usually a "wall" that needs to be pushed through or perhaps some old bones in the dirt that need excavating before the foundation can be laid.
After all, Rome wasn't built in a day and it took more than one person.
Support is crucial.

I'm on a new journey now. One that I am actively and fully engaged in. I'm not blaming anyone but myself. I'm the one that chose to lie down and do nothing.

I have been given a new view of the future and it involves boldness and empowerment. That part of me somehow got lost.

Funny... my word for this year is 'intention'. How appropriate.

Friday Finds -Bottles and Poppies

I've pretty much reached the end of my studio reorganization. At least I can work in it now and I still have a few empty shelves in the closet. Yes!

While going through everything' I found some old photos and memorabilia that brought back wonderful memories. I also found a small box of tiny bottles bought in a garage sale 2 summers ago. Best find ever! 

(iPhone, Snapseed, Stackables)

I set them up and waited for a morning I could pick some poppies and shoot away. I also found I was going to have to rearrange just a bit more so my body is not in the way of my morning light.

I was fretting early this spring that I might not have many poppies because the rabbits kept eating them. Unfortunately our little pellet gun is not sighted in correctly. We missed a whole lot more than we hit. But they survived in a few spots, one being next to the bird bath. I about died when I walked out a couple days ago and saw this.

(iPhone, Enlight app)

I tried to capture the same thing on the Canon but it's not quite the same.

More shots I found time to edit yesterday. I've made a preset that brings out the detail in the red and applied it to all of these. Then added another on top of some.

Added kk_serendipitous. (ISO 160 100mm f/5.6 1/180sec)

Added kk_serendipitous. (ISO 160 100mm f/5.6 1/180sec)

An old preset of Kim's called AutumnCopperII. (ISO 100 100mm f/4 1/250sec)

Added kk_lightandairyfilm. (ISO 100 100mm f/4.5 1/180sec)

Here's a before and after so you can see how the 'red' changes. Exactly one year ago I gave the details on my blog for these settings. Check out 'Shooting Red'.

Joining Kim for Friday Finds!

Which Passion Will She Follow?

I don't give much credibility to horoscope stuff. But my birthday date falls in the Gemini category. That being said I've always struggled with two extremes when it comes to taste. My latest being photographic art. I love a good clean photographic style (maybe some haze and such).

I also like the grungy or painterly artsy edits I can get in Photoshop or on my iPad with various apps. 

(supplies by Anna Aspnes)

We have far too many choices these days and even when I stick with one thing the choices are still many.

As a quilter, I loved a good traditional scrap quilt... (well this one may not be so traditional but I could find it on my computer)

 ...just as much as an artsy one.

As I've been cleaning out and reorganizing and it's made me drool over some of my fabrics. I even peaked into a couple quilt magazines. (oh no!) It would be much safer if I just moved my machine to the basement.

I could also live in a contemporary style house or one with shabby antiques.

Back to the 'digital art' problem. It IS a problem right now. With limited time I really need to focus and figure out where I want to go. I would like to put in an application to be in the Local Studio Tour this fall and the deadline is coming up in two weeks. As I'm writing this I'm finding myself lean toward the textured and artsy. I chickened out last year but this time I'm much braver. And older...

Since it is my birthday, I'm eating sugar today. I have a sore throat but I don't care. I'll pay later. I went to the local french bistro better known as Sugarbaker's and got a brownie with coconut and marshmallow and chocolate frosting. Then I got a piece of key lime pie. After eating it on their patio I went back in and got a piece for hubby. :)  Best ever! And real graham cracker crust. Then... I went and bought some clothes.

Have a great weekend!

Texture Tuesday July 1

Hard to believe June is gone and I'm just now working on shots I took of my granddaughter in May! Well no, actually it isn't hard to believe at all.
My favorite place to shoot in May is at the local Garden and Art Center. The poppies and larkspur are amazing.
This was the first time she actually 'posed' for me too. I'm not sure if I'm excited about that or not. I like candid best. Catching them in the moment… unaware.
She backed up into the flowers...

And gave me a big grin!

She then sat down and started playing with 'Baby'.

You can tell by her attire and the hairdo that this wasn't a planned shoot. I knew the poppies were at their peak and since I was picking her up at daycare that afternoon, I prayed her clothes would be clean because we had perfect cloud cover(rare). If there is anything around that resembles a purse, it goes on her arm or shoulders. I threw her doll and a couple props in my tote bag for our expedition. 

I was so glad to grab this shot because I have one from last year of her heading down the same path.

Of course we had to have a flower in our hair and play in the dirt.

She likes to sit in my lap and we make videos with the camera turned toward us. I put this one together in iMovie.

I'm a preset lover! Here are a few of my favorite Lightroom Presets. From top left going clockwise: Cool Faded Peonies(mine), Redrex-White Putty, Cool Pale Red(mine), Matt B&W (Pretty Presets), Bad Ass Film, Noir Film- MakeLightReal.com. Now to figure out which to print.

kk-rainyday Multiply 74%, kk-rainyday Screen 48%, kk-evolve Linear Burn 100%
Linking up with Kim for Texture Tuesday.